Series reminders and series recording from an interactive television program guide

ABSTRACT

An interactive television program guide system with program series reminder and recording capabilities is provided. The system allows a user to set a reminder or schedule a recording for a single episode or for each episode of a program series. In addition, other options may be provided that allow the user to determine, for example, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for episodes on all channels on which the program airs or only on a selected channels, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for all episodes including reruns or only new episodes, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for network or syndicated episodes, and whether to schedule reminders/recordings for episodes on all days or only on selected days of the week. Before the scheduled broadcast time of each episode of each selected program series, the system sends a reminder message to the user that reminds the user of the program episode or sends a record command to a videocassette recorder to initiate recording of the episode. The system allows a user to view a list of all currently requested program reminders and scheduled program recordings. The user may update, change, or cancel any entry in either list or the system may automatically update the lists to match new broadcast schedule information. If the user sets a reminder or schedules a recording that conflicts with an existing reminder or recording, the system may inform the user of the conflict and allow the user to resolve the conflict or the system may resolve the conflict.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No.11/894,698 filed Aug. 20, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,669), which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/183,536 filed Jul.18, 2005 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/929,111 filed Aug. 26, 2004 (now abandoned),which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/330,792filed Jun. 11, 1999 (now abandoned), which claims priority to UnitedStates Provisional Application No. 60/088,888 filed Jun. 11, 1998 (nowexpired), and is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/780,697filed May 14, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,287), all of which arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to interactive television program guides, andmore particularly, to interactive television program guides with programseries reminder and recording capabilities.

Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers witha large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionallyconsulted printed television program schedules to determine the programsbeing broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactivetelevision program guides have been developed that allow televisionprogram information to be displayed on a viewer's television.

Interactive program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes.Such program guides allow users to view television program listings indifferent display formats. For example, a user may instruct the programguide to display a grid or table of program listings organized in achannel-ordered or a time-ordered list. Users may also search and sortprogram listings by genre (e.g., movies, sports, etc.) or by title(i.e., alphabetically). A user may obtain additional information for aprogram by placing a highlight region on a desired program listing andpressing an “info” button.

Program guide data such as program listings, pay-per-view programpurchasing information, promotional information, etc. is provided tousers' set-top boxes with a data distribution system. Program guide datais typically stored in a central program guide database. Program guidedata from the central database is transmitted to the headend facilitiesof various cable systems. Each headend distributes the program guidedata to the set-top boxes in its system.

Some systems allow the user to set reminders to notify the user whencertain television programs are to be aired. In such systems, when auser sets a reminder, the program guide will notify the user just priorto when the program is scheduled to be aired or automatically cause thesystem to tune to the program as it begins airing. However, if the userwatches the same program each week and wishes to be notified with areminder each time the program airs, a new reminder typically must beset by the user each time.

Some systems allow the user to select a program for recording by placingthe highlight region on a program listing and pressing a “record”button. Moreover, the user may be able to schedule an upcoming programfor recording. In such systems, when a user has scheduled a program tobe recorded, the program guide may automatically cause the system totune to the program as it begins airing, send a record command to avideocassette recorder to begin recording the program, and then stop thevideocassette recorder from recording at the end of the program. Thesystem may allow the user to record a program once, daily, weekly, orjust weekdays. However, in order for the system to correctly record aprogram in a series each time it airs, the program must air at the sametime and channel. If the program airs at a different channel or time, orif the user wishes to change the scheduled time or channel of recording,the programs in the series may not be recorded properly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aninteractive television program guide system with program series reminderand recording capabilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordancewith the principles of the present invention by providing an interactivetelevision program guide with series reminder and series recordingcapabilities.

Program guide data is generally available in a data source of a mainfacility. The main facility provides data from the data source tomultiple television distribution facilities via communications links.The data transmitted by the main facility to the television distributionfacilities typically include at least television program listings datasuch as program times, channels, titles, ratings, categories, anddescriptions. In addition, television program listings data may includeinformation indicating whether the program is an episode of a programseries and if the program is a new episode or a rerun.

Each television distribution facility distributes the television programlistings data to multiple users via communications paths. Each user hasuser television equipment for displaying the television program listingsinformation. The communications paths preferably have sufficientbandwidth to allow the television distribution facility to distributemultiple channels of television programming to the user televisionequipment.

The user television equipment that receives and processes the televisionprogram listings data from the television distribution facility mayinclude a set-top box and a videocassette recorder. The set-top box maydisplay television program listings on the user's display screen in theform of an interactive grid or list if desired. The user can interactwith the television program guide by entering commands via a user inputinterface. An illustrative user input interface is an infrared remotecontrol with arrow keys, a “guide” button, a “record” button, an “info”button, and various other keys.

When the user presses “guide,” a grid or list is displayed that containstelevision program listings. For example, the program listings may bedisplayed in a grid format organized in channel order from top to bottomand by broadcast time from left to right. The user may scroll throughthe listings to locate programs at different times in the day ordifferent days in the week using the arrow keys. The user can alsoposition a highlight region on the desired entry by using the arrowkeys.

If a user selects a program or pay-per-view event from the programlistings, the user may set a reminder, which directs the system togenerate a reminder message just before the scheduled broadcast time ofthe selected program to remind the user of the selected program. Theuser may schedule the program to be recorded on the videocassetterecorder. The program guide may direct the set-top box to initiaterecording of the program at the proper time. Recording a program in thisway causes the set-top box to send a record command over a control pathto the videocassette recorder.

When a user orders a reminder or schedules a recording, the system willdetermine if the selected program is an episode of a program series. Ifthe selected program is not an episode of a series, the system willallow the user to order a reminder or schedule a recording for thatsingle broadcast. If the selected program is an episode of a series, theprogram automatically presents the user with an opportunity to set areminder or schedule a recording for that single episode or to set areminder or schedule a recording for each episode of the series. Inaddition, other options may be provided that allow the user todetermine, for example, whether to schedule reminders/recordings forepisodes on all channels on which the program airs or only on theselected channel, whether to schedule reminders/recordings for allepisodes including reruns or only new episodes, and whether to schedulereminders/recordings for episodes on all days or only on the selectedday of the week. Moreover, other options may be provided that allow theuser to schedule recordings for episodes that have not been recorded inthe past or to set reminders for episodes that have not been viewed bythe user in the past.

Before the scheduled broadcast time of each episode of each selectedprogram series, the system sends a reminder message to the user thatreminds the user of the program episode or sends a record command to thevideocassette recorder or otherwise initiates recording of the episode.

The user may also view a list of all currently requested programreminders. Information such as the program name, type of programreminder, and the date and time the request was submitted may bedisplayed in the list for each reminder. The list may also indicatewhether the entry represents a single program broadcast (a one-timereminder) or an episode of a program series. The list may also indicatewhether or not the program is a rerun.

The user may view a list of all currently scheduled program recordings.Information such as the program name, the date and time the request wassubmitted, the date, time, channel, and length of the recording, andwhether the scheduled entry represents a single program or an episode ofa program series may be displayed for each entry.

Entries may be added to either the program reminder list or recordinglist as soon as the user makes a new request for either a reminder orrecording. Moreover, if broadcast schedule information for any entry ineither list is updated in the program listings, the system willautomatically update the lists accordingly to match the new broadcastschedule information. This may prevent the user from missing a reminderor recording due to unexpected programming schedule changes. The usermay also update or change any entry in either list manually using theremote control. In addition, the user may cancel any entry if the userno longer wishes to record or be reminded of an individual program, anepisode of a series or the entire series. If the user selects a programfrom the program listings for which a reminder has already been set or arecording scheduled, the system will provide the user with anopportunity to edit or cancel entries from the reminder or recordinglists.

If the user sets a reminder that conflicts with an existing reminder,the system may inform the user of the conflict. The system may issuemultiple reminders. If desired, the user may be provided with anopportunity to resolve conflicts between reminders by allowing the userto select preferred reminders. However, systems having a singlevideocassette recorder used for recording and because a videocassetterecorder can only record a single program at a time, scheduled recordingconflicts should be resolved. Recording conflicts may be resolved inseveral ways. Recording conflicts may, for example, be resolvedautomatically by the system based on specified user preferences. Theuser may resolve conflicts directly as soon as the conflicts aredetected. The system may allow the user to resolve any conflictsimmediately or at a later, more convenient time. Alternatively, if thesystem provides for simultaneous recordings, the system may not informthe user of the conflict or provide the user with an opportunity toresolve the conflict.

Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantageswill be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative system inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of illustrative user televisionequipment in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a generalized schematic block diagram of portions of theillustrative television equipment of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are illustrative program guide display screens inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative detailed remind/record display screen inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative reminder screen that allows the user to enterinformation for setting reminders in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative information screen that allows the user toenter more information when setting reminders in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an illustrative reminder displayed on the user'stelevision screen in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an illustrative reminder screen listing allcurrent reminders in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 a is an illustrative reminder screen that allows the user toview, update, or cancel reminders in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is an illustrative recording screen that allows the user toenter information for scheduling recordings in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram of an illustrative recording screen listing allcurrently scheduled recordings in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 a is an illustrative recording screen that allows the user toview, update, or cancel recordings in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of an illustrative reminder screen listing allcurrent reminders and detected conflicts in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of an illustrative recording screen listing allcurrently scheduled recordings and detected conflicts in accordance withthe present invention.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are illustrative recording screens that allow the userto resolve recording conflicts in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the interrelationships between variousprogram guide display screens that may be selected in accordance withthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An illustrative system 10 in accordance with the present invention isshown in FIG. 1. Main facility 12 provides data from data source 14 totelevision distribution facility 16 via communications link 18. Link 18may be a satellite link, a telephone network link, a cable or fiberoptic link, a microwave link, a combination of such links, or any othersuitable communications path. If it is desired to transmit video signalsover link 18 in addition to data signals, a relatively high bandwidthlink such as a satellite link may generally be preferable to arelatively low bandwidth link such as a telephone line. Televisiondistribution facility 16 may be a cable system headend, a broadcastdistribution facility, a satellite television distribution facility, orother such suitable data distribution facility.

Only one such television distribution facility 16 is shown in FIG. 1 toavoid overcomplicating the drawings. In general, however, main facility12 distributes data to many such television distribution facilities inparallel. For clarity, the present invention will be described primarilyin the context of a single television distribution facility 16.

The data transmitted by main facility 12 to television distributionfacility 16 includes television program listings data (e.g., programtimes, channels, ratings, program categories, titles, and descriptionsof individual programs, episodes of series, or entire series). Inaddition, television program listings data may include informationindicating whether a given program is a single broadcast or an episodeof a program series. The data may also include information whether agiven program is a new first-run episode or is a rerun and whether agiven program is a network or syndicated episode.

Television distribution facility 16 distributes the television programlistings data to multiple users via communications paths 20. Each userhas user television equipment 22 for displaying the television programlistings information with an interactive television program guideimplemented on user television equipment 22. Communications paths 20preferably have sufficient bandwidth to allow television distributionfacility 16 to distribute television programming to user televisionequipment. If desired, the television programming or data may beprovided over separate communications paths.

An illustrative arrangement for user television equipment 22 is shown inFIG. 2. User television equipment 24 of FIG. 2 receives video and datafrom television distribution facility 16 (FIG. 1) at input 26. Duringnormal television viewing, the user tunes set-top box 28 to a desiredtelevision channel. The signal for that television channel is thenprovided at video output 30 either as a radio-frequency (RF) signal on apredefined channel (e.g., channel 3 or 4) or as a demodulated videosignal or digital signal. The video signal at output 30 may be receivedby videocassette recorder 32, so that the user may record programs.Program recording and other features may be controlled by set-top box 28using control path 34. A typical control path 34 involves the use of aninfrared transmitter coupled to the infrared receiver in videocassetterecorder 32 that normally accepts commands from a remote control such asremote control 40. Remote control 40 may be used to control set-top box28, videocassette recorder 32, and television 36.

Television 36 receives radio-frequency or demodulated video signals ordigital signals from videocassette recorder 32 or set-top box 28 viacommunications path 38. The video signals on communications path 38 mayeither be generated by videocassette recorder 32 when playing back aprerecorded videocassette or may be passed through videocassetterecorder 32 from set-top box 28. During normal television viewing, thevideo signals provided to television 36 correspond to the desiredchannel to which the user has tuned with set-top box 28. When the userwishes to view interactive television program guide information, theuser may, for example, press a “guide” button on remote control 40 orview the information using other suitable technique. When set-top box 28receives commands from remote control 40 that inform set-top box 28 thatthe guide button has been pressed, the interactive television programguide is invoked and processing circuitry within set-top box 28 displaysvarious program guide display screens on television 36.

A more generalized embodiment of the user television equipment of 24FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, video and data signalsfrom television distribution facility 16 (FIG. 1) are received bycontrol circuitry 42 of user television equipment 44. Video signals aretypically provided on multiple television channels. Data may be providedby transmission on a television channel sideband, in the verticalblanking interval of a television channel, as a digital data streameither in-band with programming or out-of-band, or by any other suitableanalog or digital data transmission technique.

The user controls the operation of user television equipment 44 withuser input interface 46. User input interface 46 may be a pointingdevice, wireless remote control, keyboard, touch pad, voice recognitionsystem, or any other suitable user input device. To watch television,the user instructs control circuitry 42 to display a desired televisionchannel on monitor 48 or any other suitable display device such as acomputer monitor. To record a program, the user instructs controlcircuitry 42 to record a desired television program using recordingdevice 45 or any other suitable recording device such as a recordableDVD or a hardisk. To view program guide information, the user instructscontrol circuitry 42 to display a program guide display screen onmonitor 48.

The functions of control circuitry 42 may be provided using the set-topbox arrangement of FIG. 2.

Alternatively, these functions may be integrated into a television orvideocassette recorder arrangement. These functions may also be providedby an advanced television receiver such as a high-definition television(HDTV) receiver, a personal computer television (PC/TV) or the like. Ifdesired, a combination of such arrangements may be used.

If desired, an interactive television program guide may be implementedon system 10 using a client-server architecture. For example, a serverat television distribution facility 16 (17 of FIG. 1) may operate incooperation with user television equipment 22 which acts as a client.With this type of arrangement, some program guide functions (such asfunctions related to maintaining a program listings database) may beperformed primarily at the server, whereas other functions (such asdisplay and user input functions) may be performed primarily at usertelevision equipment 22. Moreover, in such a client-server architectureimplementation, some or all of the reminder and recording functions maybe implemented on the server. Further features of an illustrativeinteractive television program guide implemented on a client-serverarchitecture are described in Hassell et al. U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/332,625, filed concurrently herewith, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Further features of anillustrative interactive television program guide implemented on aclient-server architecture where recordings are performed on the serverare described in Ellis et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/332,244, filed concurrently herewith, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

When a user indicates a desire to view television program guideinformation (e.g., by entering a command with user input interface 46),the program guide directs control circuitry 42 to generate a video imageof a program guide display screen. The information for the program guidedisplay screen may be contained in the data provided to the programguide from data source 14 (FIG. 1) in main facility 12 (FIG. 1). Thisdata typically contains several days worth of program listingsinformation for the program guide.

An illustrative program listings grid 50 that may be displayed by theprogram guide is shown in FIG. 4. Program listings grid 50 has programlistings rows 52, 54, 56, and 58. Program listings row 52 containsprogram listings for programs 1 and 2 on channel 2 (KJRH) during thetime slots 6:30 PM, 7:00 PM, and 7:30 PM. Program listings row 54contains program listings for programs 1 and 2 on channel 3 (HBO), etc.

Program listings grid 50 (like other program guide screens displayed bythe program guide) may have a highlight region 66. Highlight region 66may be used to highlight the current grid cell (e.g., the grid cell forthe program SEINFELD in the example of FIG. 4). The range of movement ofhighlight region 66 is typically bounded by column 68 on the left, byprogram listings time cells 70 on the top, by screen boundary 72 on theright, and by lower screen boundary 74 on the bottom. Time cell 76 maybe used to display the current time and date cell 77 may be used todisplay the current date.

The user may position highlight region 66 by entering appropriatecommands with user input interface 46. For example, if user inputinterface 46 is a remote control such as remote control 40 of FIG. 2,the user can position highlight region 66 using arrow keys. As shown inFIG. 5, if the user repeatedly moves highlight region 66 until itreaches lower screen boundary 74, further attempts at downward movementcause the program listings to scroll in the vertical direction. In theillustrative example of FIG. 5, program listings rows 54, 56, and 58have been moved up one position in the grid. A new program listings row55 is displayed at the bottom of grid 50. Vertical movement of highlightregion 66 in the upward direction may be used to scroll the programlistings in the opposite direction.

Similarly, when highlight region 66 is panned in the horizontaldirection (i.e., moved to the right or left), the listings moveaccordingly (i.e., to the left or right respectively). Program listingsgrid 50 is but one illustrative program guide screen that may bedisplayed by the program guide on user television equipment 22. Otherprogram guide screens that the program guide may provide include menuscreens, lists or tables of program listings, screens in which productsare advertised, screens in which the current television channel isoverlayed with a browse or flip region containing a program listing,television program screens without an overlay, etc. Any of these programscreens and any suitable program guide features may be provided by theprogram guide. Moreover, any or all of the features described may applyequally to any of the display formats described.

In a program guide display screen such as program listings grid 50, eachprogram grid cell may contain descriptive information about a program,such as the program title, program rating, and a brief description. Ifthe user wishes to set a reminder or schedule a recording for a program,the user may position highlight region 66 on the appropriate programlisting. Once the user positions highlight region 66 on a particularprogram listing, the user may elect to set a reminder or schedule arecording for the program by pressing an “enter” button on remotecontrol 40. If the “enter” button on remote control 40 is pressed, theuser may be presented with a remind/record screen such as remind/recordscreen 70 of FIG. 6.

Remind/record screen 70 may present the user with the program title aswell as the date and time the program is scheduled to air. Othercomponents of remind/record screen 70 may be reminder option 85, recordoption 86, view current reminders option 87, view current recordingsoption 88, and cancel option 89. These options may be displayed onremind/record screen 70 whenever the user selects a program or eventfrom program grid 50 (FIGS. 4 and 5) or from any other suitable guidescreen.

If the user wishes to set a reminder to remind the user when a givenprogram is to be broadcast, the user may position highlight region 95 ofFIG. 6 onto reminder option 85 and press an “enter” button (or othersimilar button) on remote control 40. Alternatively, the user mayposition highlight region 66 on top of a desired future program listingin grid 50 (FIGS. 4 and 5) or other guide listing screen and may press“enter” (or other similar button).

Once the “enter” button on remote control 40 has been pressed, the usermay be presented with a program reminder screen such as program reminderscreen 90 of FIG. 7. The program reminder screen may be a full screen asshown in FIG. 7, or may use a partial screen overlay or other suitablearrangement if desired. Program reminder screen 90 contains varioususer-selectable options that the user may complete when setting remindermessages to remind the user when selected television programming is tobe broadcast. As defined herein, such uses of the term “broadcast” referto the process of airing television programs by traditional televisionbroadcast techniques, cable systems, satellite systems, microwavesystems, etc.

Program reminder screen 90 may provide several user-selectable optionsthat specify when and how often the user will be reminded of the airingof selected television programs or program series. As defined herein,such uses of the term “series” refer to any set of related programs suchas a program series, mini-series, sports series, pay-per-view package,etc. If the selected program is an episode of a program series, forexample, program reminder screen 90 may contain episode/series reminderoption 92. Episode/series reminder option 92 allows the user to eitherorder a reminder for the currently selected episode of the program ororder reminders for all episodes in the entire series. For example, ifthe user wishes to order a series reminder, the user may positionhighlight region 95 of FIG. 7 onto the “Entire Series” selection ofepisode/series reminder option 92 and press an “enter” button on remotecontrol 40. Selecting the “Entire Series” option allows the user toorder and receive reminder messages for each episode of the programseries. If the series a mini series, reminders will end after the lastepisode of the series. If the series is an ongoing series, reminderswill continue to be displayed for the series until cancelled by theuser. If the user chooses the “This episode” selection, the user mayreceive a reminder message for only the currently selected episode. Ifthe selected program is a single broadcast and not an episode of aprogram series, the program guide will not allow the user to make aselection using episode/series reminder option 92.

In addition to episode/series reminder option 92, program reminderscreen 90 may contain other user-selectable reminder options thatspecify when and how often the user will be reminded of the airing ofthe selected television program or episode. For example, programreminder screen 90 may also contain how soon option 93. How soon option93 allows the user to indicate how soon before the broadcast of thescheduled program or episode reminder messages are to be generated anddisplayed to the user. As shown in FIG. 7, how soon option 93 maycontain an option that allows the user to be reminded from 1 to 15minutes (in one minute increments) or another amount of time before theselected program is broadcast. The user may make entries into how soonoption 93 using remote control arrow keys to increase or decrease thedesired value of minutes, or by using remote control number keys toenter desired numerical values for the item, or by using any othersuitable user interface. If “other” is selected in how soon option 93,the user is presented with screen 110 of FIG. 8, which allows the userto be reminded 1 hour, 1 day, 2 days, or to specify a desired lead timebefore a scheduled event by completing option 115. The user may makeentries into screen 110 using remote control arrow keys to increase ordecrease the desired values of days, hours, and minutes, or by usingremote control number keys to enter desired numerical values for theseitems, or by using any other suitable user interface.

Upon completing screen 110 of FIG. 8, the user may submit theinformation that has been entered by selecting option 117. The user mayexit page 110 without submitting the information by selecting exitoption 119. If the user selects either enter option 117 or exit option119, the user is returned to program reminder screen 90.

Alternatively, information such as how soon before the broadcast of thescheduled program or episode reminder messages are to be generated anddisplayed to the user may be a global default or global setting. Forexample, such information may be specified by the user in a set-upscreen.

Program reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 may also contain program channeloption 104. Option 104 allows the user to specify which channel orchannels program reminders are to be scheduled for. Option 104 maycontain selections that allow the user to be reminded of programepisodes airing on the selected channel, on all channels on which theprogram airs, or on certain channels the program is scheduled to air on.Typically, if the user selects the “Selected Channels” option, the usermay be allowed to specify certain channel or channels program remindersare to be scheduled for.

Program reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 may also contain program day option107. Option 107 allows the user to specify on which days of the weekprogram reminders are to be scheduled for. Option 107 may containselections that allow the user to be reminded of program episodes airingon the currently selected day of the week, on all days of the week, oron certain days of the week the program episode is scheduled to air on.Typically, if the user selects the “Selected Days” option, the user maybe allowed to specify certain day or days program reminders are to bescheduled for.

Program reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 may also contain program typeoption 108. Option 108 allows the user to specify which type of programepisodes (assuming the selected program is an episode of a programseries) program reminders are to be scheduled for. For example, as shownin FIG. 7, option 108 may contain selections that allow the user to setreminders for new (i.e., first-run) episodes, rerun episodes, networkepisodes, syndicated episodes, only previously unviewed episodes, or allscheduled episodes whether first-run, rerun, network, syndicated, orpreviously unviewed.

Typically, episode/series reminder option 92, program channel option104, program day option 107, and program type option 108 may only beselectable by the user when the program selected from the guide is anepisode of a program series. How soon option 93 may be selectable by theuser regardless of whether or not the program is an episode of a programseries. If the selected program is not an episode of a program seriesbut rather is a single broadcast event, the user may set a reminder forthat single broadcast and be allowed to make a selection from how soonoption 93. Similarly, if the selected program is a program series andthe user wishes to set a reminder for a single episode, the user may seta reminder for that single episode and be allowed to make a selectionfrom how soon option 93.

At any time during the completion of program reminder screen 90 (FIG.7), the user may cancel the reminder by selecting cancel option 97.Selecting cancel option 97 returns the user to display 70 of FIG. 6 orother previous screen. The user may also deselect any previouslyselected option by positioning highlight region 95 on the selectedoption and pressing the “enter” button on remote control 40.

Upon completing program reminder screen 90, the user may set thereminder by selecting OK option 94. Selecting OK option 94 directs theprogram guide to process the reminder. Set-top box 28 (FIG. 2) processesand stores each reminder set by the user. The system initially searchesthe existing database for all programs and episodes matching thecriteria specified by the user. The system will then set a reminder foreach matching program or episode. Moreover, if any existing informationhas changed or has been updated or if any new information has beenadded, the system will again examine the user criteria and set areminder (or update or remove an existing reminder) for each new orupdated program or episode. The reminders are then generated by set-topbox 28 and displayed on television 36 of FIG. 2 at the appropriate time.Depending on the type of television program (i.e., a series ornon-series program) and the user-selectable options selected, the usermay request and receive one or more reminders.

A typical series program reminder is shown in FIG. 9. The reminder istypically presented as a partial-screen overlay on top of the currenttelevision program being viewed by the user. The reminder may containthe name of the television program that the user is being reminded of(120), a reminder message indicating “DON'T FORGET,” and information onwhen the television program is to broadcast (123). If the program is anepisode of a program series, the reminder may also contain informationon when the next episode is to broadcast (127). The user may hide thereminder by selecting hide option 129 a. The user may immediately tuneto the channel that is scheduled to show the desired program byselecting tune option 129 b. An advertisement 125 (text, graphics, etc.)may be included in the reminder if desired. The advertisement may beprovided using information stored in main facility 12 and transmitted touser television equipment 22 with the program guide data.

Moreover, the program reminder may also list all other currently activeprogram reminders. For example, if the user receives a program remindersuch as the program reminder shown in FIG. 9, the reminder may list theprogram that is currently scheduled to air for which the user hasreceived the reminder, as well as the reminder for the currenttelevision program being viewed by the user (assuming the user set areminder for that program in the past). The list may also include anyother reminders the user has set and recently received. The programreminder for the program scheduled to air next will preferably be listedfirst however the user may specify any other reminder order based onuser preferences. The user may select any reminder from the list and mayimmediately tune to the channel that is showing or will show theprogram.

Another aspect of the invention relates to managing one's reminders. Ifdesired, program reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 may contain view currentreminders option 98. If view current reminders option 98 is selected,(or if desired when the user selects OK option 94 of program reminderscreen 90), the user may be presented with current reminders screen 130of FIG. 10. The user may also access current reminders screen 130 byselecting view current reminders option 87 of FIG. 6 or from any otherguide screen such as a menu screen. Current reminders screen 130contains a list of all the user's currently requested reminders.Information such as program name, program episode (i.e., whether asingle broadcast or an episode of a program series), type of reminder,and the date and time the request was submitted may be displayed.Typically, the entries in current reminders screen 130 are listed inchronological order based on when they are to be presented to the user.The reminder for the episode scheduled to air next will preferably belisted first however the user may specify any other reminder order basedon user preferences.

For example, a current reminder entry for the program “SEINFELD” (135)may be displayed as shown in FIG. 10. The user requested a reminder foronly the selected episode of the program (i.e., not the entire series),a rerun episode, airing on July 9th on CH. 4 at 7:00 PM. This reminderwas submitted on Jul. 5, 1997 at 3:04 PM and is set to remind the userone hour before the broadcast of the episode. This entry is listed firstand is the first scheduled program to air.

In addition, if the user requests reminders for an entire series, thatinformation may be displayed as well. Current reminders screen 130 maydisplay each episode of the series scheduled to air. For example, asshown in FIG. 10, a current reminder entry for the program “THIS WEEKWITH SAM AND COKIE” (134) is displayed showing that a series reminderhas been requested (133). The user will receive reminders for allscheduled episodes of the series, one day before the broadcast of eachepisode of the series. The next entry in the list and the next programscheduled to air is the July 10th episode of the series and is the nextreminder to be presented to the user.

The user also requested a reminder for another episode of the “SEINFELD”series airing on July 14th on CH. 11 at 11:00 PM. This episode is listednext because that episode will air after the first listed episode of theseries “THIS WEEK WITH SAM AND COKIE” but before the next listed episodeof the series. Finally, as shown in FIG. 10, the remaining episodes ofthe series “THIS WEEK WITH SAM AND COKIE” are listed and the user willreceive a reminder for each scheduled episode of the series. The usermay select arrow icon 132 or any other suitable icon to display andscroll through the remaining episodes of the series.

Entries may be added to the current reminders list as soon as the usersets each reminder (e.g., by selecting OK option 94 from programreminder screen 90 of FIG. 7). Moreover, entries may be added to thecurrent reminders list when the program guide automatically determinesthat newly scheduled program guide events match the reminder options foran existing program reminder listing. This may occur, for example, ifnewly added episodes are broadcast after the user has set reminders fora related series. In addition, if a schedule change is received by theprogram guide for any currently set reminder, the current reminder listwill be updated to match the new schedule. This may prevent the userfrom missing a scheduled reminder due to unexpected programming schedulechanges.

Moreover, the system may list series reminders set by the user even ifthere are no current episodes in the guide's database matching thecriteria specified by the user. In addition to reminding the user theseries reminder has been set, it allows the user to cancel the reminderif the user no longer wishes to be reminded of the broadcasts of thatseries. These reminders will preferably be located at the bottom of thelist.

The user may also view and manage current reminders from elsewhere inthe guide. For example, the user may select a manage reminder optionfrom a program guide menu screen. Selecting the option may also presentthe user with a current reminders listing.

In addition, the user may update or delete any currently set reminderfrom any program guide grid or other guide listing screen or from thecurrent reminders listing screen. The program grid entry may, forexample, indicate to the user that a reminder has been set for theprogram or series and allow the user to update or delete the reminder byselecting the program entry from the grid. For example, as shown inprogram grid 50 of FIG. 5, if a reminder is currently set for theprogram series “SEINFELD” (58), the grid may reflect that information bydisplaying a “check” mark (59) or other suitable identifying mark withinthe program listing entry. If the user wishes to update or delete thereminder currently set for that program series, the user may positionhighlight region 66 on that program listing and press an “enter” buttonon remote control 40. If the “enter” button on remote control 40 ispressed, the user may be presented with a program reminder update screensuch as program reminder update screen 135 of FIG. 10 a.

Program reminder update screen 135 of FIG. 10 a may display the sameuser-selectable options and selections the user specified when orderingthe reminder from program reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7. The user mayupdate any option by positioning highlight region 95 onto the desiredselection within the option and pressing the “enter” button on remotecontrol 40. If the selected program is an episode of a program series,program reminder update screen 135 may contain update reminder option132. Update reminder option 132 allows the user to either update thereminder for the currently selected episode of the series or updatereminders for all episodes in the entire series. Similarly, if theselected program is not an episode of a program series but rather is asingle broadcast event, the user may update the reminder for that singlebroadcast by updating the how soon option which may be the only optionselectable by the user. Upon completing program reminder update screen135, the user may set the updated reminder by selecting OK option 121.After selecting OK option 121, current reminders screen 130 is updatedwith the new information.

If the user wishes to cancel a current series reminder, the user mayposition highlight region 95 onto cancel series reminder option 124 andpress enter. If the user wishes to cancel a current episode reminder,the user may position highlight region 95 onto cancel current episodereminder option 112 and press enter. Similarly, if the selected programis not an episode of a program series but rather is a single broadcastevent, the user may select an option to cancel the reminder for thatsingle broadcast. Upon selecting any cancel option, the cancelledreminder or reminders for the program, episode, or series is/are deletedfrom the current reminders list (130) and the user will no longer bereminded of the broadcast or broadcasts of that program or series. Theuser may return to program grid 50 or any other previous screen byselecting exit option 111.

Current reminders screen 130 may also indicate whether there are anyconflicting reminders. Conflicting reminders screen 130 may inform theuser that two or more programs or series episodes that the user hasrequested reminders for are scheduled to air simultaneously (i.e., onthe same day and time, partially or entirely). If the system isconfigured to maintain simultaneous conflicting reminders, currentreminders screen 130 may not indicate to the user that there areconflicting reminders. However, displaying conflicting reminders may bepreferred. For example, rather than the user receiving a remindermessage such as the reminder message shown in FIG. 9, the system mayinstead tune to the channel showing the program when the program isscheduled to air. For example, the system may be configured toautomatically tune to a program when a reminder for that program hasbeen received (i.e., an automatically tuning reminder). In a systemconfigured to provide automatically tuning reminders, the user or thesystem would need to resolve any conflicts.

As shown in current reminders screen 180 of FIG. 13, for example, theuser has requested reminders for programs X, Y, and Z. Programs X and Zare single broadcasts while program Y is a program series. As shown inthe “EPISODES” column (181) of FIG. 13, an episode of program Y isscheduled to air on the same day and time (i.e., May 3, 1997 at 8:00 PM)as program X. Accordingly, current reminders screen 180 displays aconflicting reminders message such as conflicting reminders message 183(i.e., “CONFLICT”) of FIG. 13. Program conflicts may also be displayedusing other suitable techniques, such as displaying the conflictingprogram listings with a unique color or icon.

The user may decide to resolve the conflict before the programs arescheduled to air by cancelling one of the conflicting reminders(described below). Alternatively, the user may decide to maintain allthe scheduled reminders and choose among the conflicting programs whenthe programs are scheduled to air. Moreover, in systems configured toprovide automatically tuning reminders, the guide may resolve conflictsbased on system defaults or previously specified user settings.

If the user wishes to cancel a current reminder that the user haspreviously set, the user may highlight the desired entry on currentreminders screen 130 with highlight region 131 (as shown in FIG. 10) andpress “enter” on remote control 40. If the “enter” button on remotecontrol 40 is pressed, the user may be presented with a program reminderupdate screen such as program reminder update screen 135 of FIG. 10 a.Once presented with program reminder update screen 135, the user maycancel a single program broadcast, a program episode, or an entireprogram series by selecting the appropriate option. Moreover, the usermay resolve the conflict by updating a reminder using program reminderupdate screen 135. For example, the user may update the program channelsoption to resolve the conflict. If the user wishes to cancel the seriesreminder set for the entire series of “THIS WEEK WITH SAM AND COKIE”shown in FIG. 10, the user may position highlight region 131 on thatentry under the “PROGRAM” column and press enter. After pressing enter,the user may be presented with program reminder update screen 135 fromwhich the user may select cancel series reminder option 124. Afterselecting cancel option 124, the highlighted series is deleted fromcurrent reminders list 130 and the user will no longer be reminded ofthe broadcasts of that series. The user may return to current remindersscreen 130 or any program guide menu screen by selecting exit option139.

Another aspect of the invention relates to scheduling a program episodeor program series to be recorded. If the user wishes to record a programepisode or series, the user may position highlight region 95 of FIG. 6onto record option 86 and press an enter or other similar button onremote control 40 or may press a record button on remote control 40 torecord the program. If the enter button on remote control 40 is pressed,the user may be presented with a program record screen such as programrecord screen 140 of FIG. 11. Program record screen 140, containsvarious user-selectable options the user may complete when schedulingprogram recordings. For example, program record screen 140 may containepisode/series record option 142. Making a selection in episode/seriesrecord option 142 allows the user (if the selected program is a programseries) to either schedule a recording for the currently selectedepisode of the program or schedule recordings for all episodes in theentire series. For example, episode/series record option 142 may allowthe user the schedule recordings for an entire program series bypositioning highlight region 95 and selecting the “Entire Series”option. If the user instead selects the “This episode” option, the usermay schedule a recording for only the currently selected episode. If theselected program is a single broadcast and not an episode of a programseries, the user may not select an option in episode/series recordoption 142.

In addition to episode/series record option 142, program record screen140 may also contain other user-selectable record options, provided thatthe selected program is a program series and the user has selected torecord the entire series. These record options allow the user to specifywhich episodes of the program series the user wishes to record. Forexample, program record screen 140 may contain program channel option145, program day option 146, and program type option 147. However, theserecord options may not be selectable by the user if the selected programis a single broadcast event or if the selected program is a programseries and the user wishes to schedule a recording for a single episodeof the series. At any time during completion of program record screen140, the user may cancel the record order by selecting cancel option148. Selecting cancel option 148 returns the user to display 70 of FIG.6 or another previous screen. The user may also access program reminderscreen 90 of FIG. 10 by selecting reminders option 149. Moreover, theuser may deselect any previously selected option by positioninghighlight region 95 on the selected option and pressing the enter buttonon remote control 40.

In another aspect of the invention, the information displayed in programreminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 and program record screen 140 of FIG. 11may be displayed on the same program guide screen.

Upon completing program record screen 140, the user may submit a recordorder for processing by selecting OK option 144. Selecting OK option 144directs the program guide to process the request. Set-top box 28 maycontain control circuitry to process and store each request submitted bythe user. In a client-server architecture implementation, the processingand storing of requests may be performed at the server. The systeminitially searches the existing database for all programs and episodesmatching the criteria specified by the user. The system will thenschedule a recording for each matching program or episode. Moreover, ifany existing information has changed or has been updated or if any newinformation has been added, the system will again examine the usercriteria and schedule a recording (or update or delete an existingrecording) for each new or updated program or episode. Set-top box 28 ofFIG. 2 will send recording control signals to videocassette recorder 32via line 30 to direct videocassette recorder 32 to initiate recording ofthe program or series episode at the proper recording time.

Another aspect of the invention relates to managing one's scheduledrecordings. If desired, program record screen 140 of FIG. 11 may containview current recordings option 143. If view current recordings option143 is selected, the user may be presented with current recordingsscreen 170 of FIG. 12. Moreover, the guide may also present currentrecordings screen 170 when the user selects OK button 144 of programrecord screen 140. Current recordings screen 170, similar to currentreminders screen 130 of FIG. 10, may contain a list of all the user'scurrently scheduled recordings. Information such as program name,program episodes, and the date and time the request was submitted may bedisplayed. Current recordings screen 170 may also indicate whether theuser has scheduled a recording for a single broadcast or a programseries.

Entries may be added to the current recordings list as soon as the usersubmits each request (e.g., by selecting submit button 144 from programrecord screen 140 of FIG. 11). Moreover, entries may be added to thecurrent recordings list when newly scheduled program guide events matchthe record options for any existing program record listing. In addition,if a schedule change is received by the program guide for any currentlyscheduled recording, the current recordings list will be updated tomatch the new schedule. This may prevent the user from missing ascheduled recording due to unexpected programming schedule changes.

Moreover, the system may list series recordings set by the user even ifthere are no current episodes in the guide's database matching thecriteria specified by the user. In addition to reminding the user theseries recording has been set, it allows the user to cancel therecording if desired. These recordings will preferably be located at thebottom of the list.

The user may also view and manage currently scheduled recordings fromelsewhere in the guide. For example, the user may select a managerecording option from a program guide menu screen. Selecting the optionmay also present the user with a current recordings listing.

In addition, similar to currently set reminders (as described earlier),the user may update or delete any currently scheduled recording from anyprogram guide grid or other guide listing screen or from currentrecordings listing 170. The program grid entry may, for example,indicate to the user that a recording has been scheduled for the programor series and allow the user to update or delete the recording byselecting the program entry from the grid. For example, as shown inprogram grid 50 of FIG. 5, if a recording is currently scheduled for theprogram series “SEINFELD” (58), the grid may reflect that information bydisplaying a “check” mark (59) or other suitable identifying mark withinthe program listing entry (preferably a different identifying mark thanone used to identify currently set reminders). If the user wishes toupdate or delete the recording currently scheduled for that programseries, the user may position highlight region 66 on that programlisting and press an “enter” button on remote control 40. If the “enter”button (or other suitable key) on remote control 40 is pressed, the usermay be presented with a program recording update screen such as programrecording update screen 175 of FIG. 12 a.

Program recording update screen 175 of FIG. 12 a, similar to programreminder update screen 135, may display the same user-selectable optionsand selections the user specified when scheduling the recording fromprogram record screen 140 of FIG. 11. The user may update any option bypositioning highlight region 95 onto the desired selection within theoption and pressing the “enter” button on remote control 40. Uponcompleting program recording update screen 175, the user may schedulethe updated recording by selecting OK option 173. After selecting OKoption 173, current recordings screen 170 is updated with the newinformation.

If the user wishes to cancel a current series recording, the user mayposition highlight region 95 onto cancel series recording option 174 andpress enter. If the user wishes to cancel a current episode recording,the user may position highlight region 95 onto cancel current episoderecording option 175 and press enter. Similarly, if the selected programis not an episode of a program series but rather is a single broadcastevent, the user may select an option to cancel the recording for thatsingle broadcast. After selecting any cancel option, the cancelledprogram, episode, or series is deleted from the current recordings list(170) and the user will no longer record that program or series. Theuser may return to program grid 50 or another previous screen byselecting exit option 176.

Similarly, if the user wishes to cancel a currently scheduled recordingthat the user has previously ordered from the current recordings list170 of FIG. 12, the user may highlight the desired entry on currentrecordings screen 170 with highlight region 171 (as shown in FIG. 12)and press a remote control enter key. If the enter button on the remotecontrol is pressed, the user may again be presented with programrecording update screen 175 of FIG. 12 a. The user may, as describedabove, cancel or update a single program broadcast, a program episode,or an entire series from current recordings screen 170. The user mayreturn to current recordings screen 170 by selecting exit option 176.

The user may also access current reminders screen 130 of FIG. 10 byselecting view current reminders option 177 from current recordingsscreen 170. Moreover, the user may also arrive at current recordingsscreen 170 by selecting view current recordings option 88 of programinformation screen 70 (FIG. 6).

Current recordings screen 170 may also indicate whether there are anyconflicting recordings by displaying a conflicting recordings messagesimilar to conflicting reminders message 183 of FIG. 13. If the systemallows simultaneous recordings (such as the system described in Ellis etal. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/322,244, filed concurrentlyherewith, the system may not indicate or display any conflicts. However,in systems where user television equipment 24 of FIG. 2 contains asingle videocassette recorder, the user must resolve the conflictbecause a single videocassette recorder cannot support multiplesimultaneous recordings.

Preferably, the program guide allows the user to resolve conflicts assoon as conflicts are detected. For example, as shown in currentrecordings screen 190 of FIG. 14, the user has scheduled recordings forprograms X, Y, and Z. Programs X and Z are single broadcasts whileprogram Y is a program series. As shown in the “EPISODES” column (191)of FIG. 14, an episode of program Y is scheduled to air on the same dayand at the same time (i.e., May 3, 1997 at 8:00 PM) as program X.Accordingly, current recordings screen 190 may display a conflictingrecordings message such as conflicting recordings message 194 (i.e.,“CONFLICT”) of FIG. 14. Program conflicts may also be displayed usingother suitable techniques, such as displaying the conflicting programswith a unique color or icon, etc. The user may be allowed to resolve theconflict by selecting resolve conflicts option 193 of FIG. 14. If theuser selects resolve conflicts button 193, the user may be presentedwith resolve conflicts screen 210 of FIG. 15.

In another aspect of the invention, the user may be notified of aconflict and allowed to resolve the conflict from the same program guidescreen.

As shown in FIG. 15, resolve conflicts screen 210 may display theprogram names, the date and time the recording request was submitted,and the date and time of the detected conflict. Resolve conflicts screen210 may allow the user to choose which of the conflicting programs orepisodes are to be recorded. For example, as shown in FIG. 15,conflicting programs X and Y are listed. Although program Y is ascheduled program series to be recorded, only the conflicting programepisode is listed. Program X is listed first and assumed preferred bythe user over program episode Y because its request was submitted mostrecently by the user. While the program listing order representsrecording priority, the system may or may not record programs based onthe program listing order. Resolve conflicts screen 210 may listconflicting programs based on other possible user designated criteriasuch as program start times, channel numbers, single episodes overseries, etc., or may list conflicting programs based the system's ownpriority scheme. Accordingly, other scheduled programs or episodes inthe list may, for example, have a line drawn through them to indicatethey are not preferred by the user and that their scheduled recordingsare to be deleted or updated. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, programepisode Y has a line drawn through it and that scheduled recording maybe deleted or updated if the program listing is selected. If the programlisting is selected, the user may be presented with program recordingupdate screen 175 of FIG. 12 a. The user may, as described earlier,cancel the conflicting program, series episode, or series. The user mayalso, if desired, resolve the conflict by updating the conflictingrecording from recording update screen 175. If the user deletes theentry for program episode Y, the user may not record that episode butthe scheduled recording for all other episodes of that program serieswill remain. In addition, the user may do nothing whereby the guide willresolve the conflict based on system or user default settings (e.g.,record program X).

However, if the user would rather cancel or update the scheduledrecording of program X and retain the scheduled recording of programepisode Y, the user may position highlight region 212 on the programepisode X entry and press the enter button on remote control 40. Thisallows the user to be presented with program recording update screen 175for program episode X where the user may cancel or update the episode orseries. This may cause program episode Y to be listed first and programX to be listed next with a line drawn through it indicating that thatentry has been deleted or updated, as shown in FIG. 16. The user, oncethe conflict is resolved, may return to current recordings screen 190 oranother previous screen by selecting exit option 214.

While the program guide allows the user to resolve conflicts as soon asconflicts are detected, a user may decide not to resolve a conflict onceone is detected. Furthermore, the program guide may not detect aconflict immediately after the user submits a recording request to beprocessed, but may detect a conflict at a later time when the user mayor may not be in the program guide. The latter situation may arise, forexample, if new program information in the database is added or existinginformation is updated since the user last submitted a request.

The program guide may allow the user to resolve any future conflictsdetected by the guide by notifying the user of the conflicts as soon asthey are detected. The program guide may display a conflictingrecordings message such as conflicting recordings message 194 of FIG. 14or may display resolve conflicts screen 210 of FIG. 15. The user mayresolve the conflict by selecting resolve conflicts option 193 of FIG.14. If the user selects resolve conflicts button 193, the user may bepresented with resolve conflicts screen 210 of FIG. 15 and allowed toresolve the conflict as discussed previously. If the user is not in theguide when a conflict is detected, the user may be presented withresolve conflicts screen 210 or any other suitable conflictingrecordings message and allowed to resolve the conflict as soon as theuser enters the guide or at any other time specified by the user.

However, if the user does not resolve the conflict, the program guidemay resolve the conflict based on its own preference scheme. Theapproach used by the guide may be based on global system defaults orsettings or may be specified by the user (e.g., by completing a set-upscreen when the user first enters the guide).

The guide may, for example, record the program listed first in resolveconflicts screen 210 of FIG. 15 and reject the remaining programs inconflict. The program listed first is assumed preferred by the userbecause its recording request was submitted most recently by the user.However, the guide may use other criteria in deciding which program torecord such as program start times, channel numbers, or any othersuitable priority scheme. The criteria may be specified by the user orprogrammed as global defaults. The guide may allow the user to view theprogram selection as well as approve or change the selection at any timebefore the conflicting programs or episodes are scheduled to air. Thismay be accomplished, for example, from current recordings screen 190 ofFIG. 14 or from any other suitable recording screen.

The guide may resolve conflicts by recording the program listed first inresolve conflicts screen 210 (or any other preferred listed programbased on user-specified or system criteria) and record the remainingportion (if any) of the next preferred program in the list. The guidemay allow the user to view the program selections as well as therecording sequence and may allow the user to approve or change theselections and/or recording sequence at any time before the programs arescheduled to air. This may again be accomplished, for example, fromcurrent recordings screen 190 of FIG. 14 or from any other suitablerecording screen.

In another aspect of the invention, currently set reminders andcurrently scheduled recordings may be listed and displayed on the sameprogram guide screen. Moreover, the user may be notified of conflictingreminders and recordings from the same program guide screen and allowedto resolve all conflicts simultaneously using any or all of theprinciples discussed. However, if the system is configured to allow theuser to record a program while viewing a different program and thusallow the user to receive a reminder message, the system may not notifythe user of conflicts or may not allow the user to resolve conflicts.Further features of an illustrative interactive television program guidewith simultaneous watch and record capabilities are described in Lemmonset al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/329,850, filed concurrentlyherewith, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the interrelationship of the illustrativeprogram guide screens used to provide the features of the invention. Thefeatures can initially be accessed from any program guide display screensuch as program listings grid 50 of FIG. 5 or while watching television.When the user selects a given television program, remind/record screen70 of FIG. 6 displays reminder option 85, record option 86, view currentreminders option 87, and view current recordings option 88. View currentreminders option 87, and view current recordings option 88 may also beaccessed from elsewhere in the guide such as a guide menu screen.Selecting the reminder option 85 from remind/record screen 70 takes theuser to program reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 or to program reminderupdate screen 135 of FIG. 10 a. Program reminder screen 90 may providethe user with several options to specify when and how often the userwill be reminded of the airing of selected television programs orprogram series. The user may also reach program reminder screen 90 fromprogram record screen 140 of FIG. 11 by selecting reminder option 149 orfrom any program guide display screen or from watching television.

The user may also access view, update, or cancel any existing setreminders or scheduled recordings by selecting a television program froma program guide display screen or from remind/record screen of FIG. 6.If the user selects a television program from a program guide displayscreen which has an existing reminder or scheduled recording, the usermay be presented with program reminder update screen of FIG. 10 a orprogram recording update screen of FIG. 12 a.

The user may also access current reminders screen 130 of FIG. 10 byselecting view current reminders option 87 of FIG. 6 or from somewhereelse in the guide such as a main menu screen. Once the user submits areminder order, the reminder or reminders are added to (and the user maybe presented with) current reminders screen 130. The user may alsoaccess current reminders screen 130 from program reminder screen 90 ofFIG. 7 by selecting view current reminders option 98 or from currentrecordings screen 170 of FIG. 12 by selecting view current remindersoption 177. While at current reminders screen 130, the user may view allcurrent reminders and may delete or update any reminder which is nolonger desired. The user may also view any reminder conflicts and mayresolve the conflicts or decide to choose among the conflicting eventswhen the scheduled programs air.

Selecting record option 86 from remind/record screen 70 of FIG. 6 takesthe user to program record screen 140 of FIG. 11 or to program recordingupdate screen of FIG. 12 a. Program record screen 140 may provide theuser with several options to complete when scheduling programrecordings. The user may also reach program record screen 140 fromprogram reminder screen 90 of FIG. 7 by selecting record option 96 orfrom any program display screen or from watching television.

The user may also access current recordings screen 170 of FIG. 12 byselecting view current recordings option 88 of FIG. 6 or from somewhereelse in the guide such as a main menu screen. Once the user submits arequest to schedule a recording, the scheduled recording or recordingsare added to (and the user may be presented with) current recordingsscreen 170. The user may also access current recordings screen 170 fromprogram recording screen 140 of FIG. 11 by selecting view currentrecordings option 143 or from current reminders screen 130 of FIG. 10 byselecting view current recordings option 137. While at currentrecordings screen 170, the user may view all currently scheduledrecordings and may delete or update any scheduled recording which is nolonger desired. The user may also view any recording conflicts andpreferably may resolve any conflicts when they are detected. The usermay resolve recording conflicts from resolve conflicts screen 210 ofFIG. 15 by selecting resolve conflicts option 193 of current recordingsscreen 190 of FIG. 14 and may view or resolve conflicts from currentrecordings screen of FIG. 12. The user may also view and resolveconflicts between currently set reminders and currently scheduledrecordings from the same program guide screen. The guide may or may notdisplay conflicts depending on the capabilities of the system.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this inventionand various modifications can be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, with aninteractive media application, program data for a plurality of programs,wherein the program data includes series information indicating which ofthe plurality of programs are episodes of a series of programs;determining, using the interactive media application, based on theseries information, whether a given program of the plurality of programsis an episode of the series of programs; and after determining that theprogram is an episode of the series of programs, providing at least oneof a first option to record only first run episodes of the series ofprograms and a second option to record all episodes of the series ofprograms.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at leastone of: an option to record the program; an option to cancel a recordingof the program; and an option to update the program.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: after determining that the program is anepisode of the series of programs, providing at least one of: an optionto cancel a recording of the series of programs; an option to update therecording of the series of programs; an option to record re-run episodesof the series of programs; an option to record network episodes of theseries of programs; an option to record syndicated episodes of theseries of programs; and an option to record previously unrecordedepisodes of the series of programs.
 4. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising providing an option to schedule a recording for particularepisodes of the series scheduled to be broadcast on one of: a specificchannel on which the program is to be broadcast; all channels; aspecific day of the week on which the program is to be broadcast; andall days of the week.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving a user selection of the first option and searching the programdata to identify a program that is a first run episode of the series. 6.The method of claim 5 further comprising recording the identifiedprogram.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a userselection of the second option and searching the program data for allprograms that are episodes of the series.
 8. The method of claim 7further comprising recording the identified programs.
 9. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising generating, for display, a program recordingupdate screen.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating,for display, an advertisement associated with the program.
 11. A systemcomprising: an interactive media application implemented at leastpartially on circuitry, wherein the interactive media application:receives program data for a plurality of programs, wherein the programdata includes series information indicating which of the plurality ofprograms are episodes of a series of programs; determines, based on theseries information, whether a given program of the plurality of programsis an episode of the series of programs; and after determining that theprogram is an episode of the series of programs, provides at least oneof a first option to record only first run episodes of the series ofprograms and a second option to record all episodes of the series ofprograms.
 12. The system of claim 11 wherein the interactive mediaapplication further provides at least one of: an option to record theprogram; an option to cancel a recording of the program; and an optionto update the program.
 13. The system of claim 11 wherein, afterdetermining that the program is an episode of the series of programs,the interactive media application further provides at least one of: anoption to cancel a recording of the series of programs; an option toupdate the recording of the series of programs; an option to recordre-run episodes of the series of programs; an option to record networkepisodes of the series of programs; an option to record syndicatedepisodes of the series of programs; and an option to record previouslyunrecorded episodes of the series of programs.
 14. The system of claim11 wherein the interactive media application further provides an optionto schedule a recording for particular episodes of the series scheduledto be broadcast on one of: a specific channel on which the program is tobe broadcast; all channels; a specific day of the week on which theprogram is to be broadcast; and all days of the week.
 15. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the interactive media application further receives auser selection of the first option and searches the program data for aprogram that is a first run episode of the series.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the interactive media application further records theidentified program.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the interactivemedia application further receives a user selection of the second optionand searches the program data for all programs that are episodes of theseries.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive mediaapplication further records the identified programs.
 19. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the interactive media application further generates,for display, a program recording update screen.
 20. The system of claim11, wherein the interactive media application further generates, fordisplay, an advertisement associated with the program.
 21. A systemcomprising: communications circuitry configured to: receive, over acommunications path, program data for a plurality of programs, whereinthe program data includes series information indicating which of theplurality of programs are episodes of a series of programs; and controlcircuitry configured to: determine, based on the series information,whether a given program of the plurality of programs is an episode ofthe series of programs; and after determining that the program is anepisode of the series of programs, provide at least one of a firstoption to record only first run episodes of the series of programs and asecond option to record all episodes of the series of programs.
 22. Thesystem of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry is further configuredto provide at least one of: an option to record the program; an optionto cancel a recording of the program; and an option to update theprogram.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry isfurther configured to, after determining that the program is an episodeof the series of programs, provide at least one of: an option to cancela recording of the series of programs; an option to update the recordingof the series of programs; an option to record re-run episodes of theseries of programs; an option to record network episodes of the seriesof programs; an option to record syndicated episodes of the series ofprograms; and an option to record previously unrecorded episodes of theseries of programs.
 24. The system of claim 21, wherein the controlcircuitry is further configured to provide an option to schedule arecording for particular episodes of the series scheduled to bebroadcast on one of: a specific channel on which the program is to bebroadcast; all channels; a specific day of the week on which the programis to be broadcast; and all days of the week.
 25. The system of claim21, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive auser selection of the first option and search the program data for aprogram that is a first run episode of the series.
 26. The system ofclaim 25, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to recordthe identified program.
 27. The system of claim 21, wherein the controlcircuitry is further configured to receive a user selection of thesecond option and search the program data for all programs that areepisodes of the series.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the controlcircuitry is further configured to record the identified programs. 29.The system of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to generate, for display, a program recording update screen.30. The system of claim 21, wherein the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to generate, for display, an advertisement associated withthe program.
 31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing aplurality of instructions for controlling control circuitry to performone or more tasks, the plurality of instructions including: aninstruction that causes the control circuitry to receive program datafor a plurality of programs, wherein the program data includes seriesinformation indicating which of the plurality of programs are episodesof a series of programs; an instruction that causes the controlcircuitry to determine, based on the series information, whether a givenprogram of the plurality of programs is an episode of the series ofprograms; and an instruction that causes the control circuitry toprovide, after determining that the program is an episode of the seriesof programs, at least one of a first option to record only first runepisodes of the series of programs and a second option to record allepisodes of the series of programs.
 32. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising an instructionthat causes the control circuitry to provide at least one of: an optionto record the program; an option to cancel a recording of the program;and an option to update the program.
 33. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising an instructionthat causes the control circuitry to provide, after determining that theprogram is an episode of the series of programs, at least one of: anoption to cancel a recording of the series of programs; an option toupdate the recording of the series of programs; an option to recordre-run episodes of the series of programs; an option to record networkepisodes of the series of programs; an option to record syndicatedepisodes of the series of programs; and an option to record previouslyunrecorded episodes of the series of programs.
 34. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising an instructionthat causes the control circuitry to provide an option to schedule arecording for particular episodes of the series scheduled to bebroadcast on one of: a specific channel on which the program is to bebroadcast; all channels; a specific day of the week on which the programis to be broadcast; and all days of the week.
 35. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising an instructionthat causes the control circuitry to receive user selection of the firstoption and search the program data for a program that is a first runepisode of the series.
 36. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 35, further comprising an instruction that causes the controlcircuitry to record the identified program.
 37. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising an instructionthat causes the control circuitry to receive a user selection of thesecond option and search the program data for all programs that areepisodes of the series.
 38. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 37, further comprising an instruction that causes the controlcircuitry to record the identified programs.
 39. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising an instructionthat causes the control circuitry to generate, for display, a programrecording update screen.
 40. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 31, further comprising an instruction that causes the controlcircuitry to generate, for display, an advertisement associated with theprogram.